Blue sky concepting for the theme was done using a zone-based brainstorming technique to gather a variety of ideas for time periods, locations, environments, story, genres, and “randomness” which we could then explore combining in interesting ways to synthesize various creative concepts for further development. This helped us to maintain a focused direction for brainstorming remotely within a tight timeline while allowing room for spontaneity and playfulness. 

From the initial concept direction we created a theme document outlining the audience, story, characters and guest journey which served as the primary reference when making creative decisions. The document continued to evolve and expand over the course of the project to create the full design book.

Mood boards were used to establish a creepy but grounded look for the land through the exploration of structures, landscaping, materials, graphics, and food & beverage with a focus on the tension between the man-made circus and the natural surroundings.

For the layout we began with researching plan views for real and fantastical circuses, gathering them into a Miro board where we used the built-in drawing tools to collaborate on a rough sketch in real-time. This sketch was then translated into sketchup through an iterative process that began with “stock” models for blocking, size, and placement which were replaced with custom designed buildings as the model evolved into the final layout renders.

The final deliverable for the project was the design book which provided a comprehensive look at the concept for Le Carnavale Mystique including the theme, story & characters, guest journey, layout, attractions, shows, and business plans. We utilized a variety of tools to bring the concept to life including original concept art, 3D renders, mood images, photo-comps, and AI imagery.